Fort Benning, Ga. --
Gina Edison-Clark said her then elementary school daughter Gemmaury, began miss-behaving at school when her husband was deployed. The mom said she tried counseling and medication, but neither greatly helped her child.
So Edison-Clark decided to write a children's book about her daughter’s journey. The book entitled "I Just Want My Daddy" talks about the way Gemmaury acted when her father was away from home fighting a war.
Edison-Clark said, “When I first wrote the book and I showed it to her, she says it's really about me. I was like yea I told you that. So we sat down and we read it together. I think it gave her self esteem.”
Gemmaury is now starting middle school at Fort Benning. She said the book helps her relate to her peers. Gemmaury Edison said, “I tell them that it's okay to be sad and it's okay to be mad. But like you should always remember that they are doing something. They are helping you be able to have the nice clothes, the nice shoes, and the nice house that you have.”
Edison-Clark, whose uncle did the illustrations, said she wants children to read her book and feel like they can relate to the story and to the pictures.
Edison-Clark said, “I want more kids to feel like hey, I'm not alone. I think that was a part of my motivation too, was that you aren't alone.”
The mother of three said she will continue to share her daughter’s story with children at Fort Benning. She said she hopes her book will help connect students whose parents at deployed.
Gina Edison-Clark is working on two more children's books. One that has already been published helps children understand a step-parent relationship.
